The Children's Keepers
by Darikiema
Summary: A late night conversation between Optimus and Cade leads a to a few startling discoveries and quite a lot of guilt.


_A/N: So I'm surprised no one else seemed to jump on this. It was the perfect opportunity for some fluff in the new transformers movie and I felt that someone else should have heard it. Or maybe I'm just a dork and loosing my mind._

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><p>Cade watched Optimus from the couch he rested on. It was late and Tesse was off sleeping with Shane on the other couch. Within line of sight!<p>

A shiver of fear ran down his spine from the thought of that as a current of guilt and panic and shock and anger and... and fear tightened around his stomach and curled up his throat. He was so incredibly angry at Tesse for this- for having a boyfriend. No! For lying about having a boyfriend. Granted he had been kind of harsh and a bit overprotective, but that was because he already knew what guys that age were like. It was the whole reason she was alive. No, he would never give that up or regret what had happened. Tesse was the best thing in his world. His whole life. But he couldn't bare the idea of her making the same mistake that her mother had. Her mother, who would have been great if she had never been forced into such a responsibility. He felt horrible and guilty for it.

But he pushed these thoughts aside for a much more interesting avenue of thinking. Something Optimus had said to him several hours ago. About Bumblebee. It was so random and welcoming that he hadn't given it a thought. Had given him hope that he wasn't the only man out there who struggled with the decisions and attitudes of his children that it had slipped his mind as to how... fitting it was.

"Did you mean it?" He heard himself asking. He clamped his mouth shut when Optimus shifted, hoping that he was still asleep and hadn't heard him.

"Mean what, Cade?" The giant asked him Some minutes later, electric blue eyes focusing in on him with a scary precision. Cade gulped and wished he had just kept his mouth shut. He could be just like Lucas at times.

The pang of guilt hit him like a load of bricks. Or a semi truck Autobot with blue and red flames.

"About Bumblebee. You said you went though him rebelling against you. Acting as though he knew better."

Prime examined the mortal for a few moments, examining his memory banks with equal degrees of exasperation, irritation and fondness. He had seen the same in the human and recognized the conflicting emotions that came with the anomaly that was parenthood. Said Autobot was perched against the doorway, glaring distastefully at the others while they bantered and argued and generally acted like children. Bumblebee may be the youngest, but he was by far the most adult-like. It made Optimus want to chuckle. "Yes, Cade. I meant it."

"So you see him like a son?" Cade was on a roll now; he figured it didn't hurt to keep going until the robot decided to quit talking. And hopefully not point any weapons at him to get the point across. Tesse shifted in Shane's arms and Cade felt a lurch in his chest when the boy (oh, no way was he calling the guy a man!) wrapped his arms a tighter around her. Around his little girl. He ignored the urge to tear them apart physically.

"He _is_ my son, Cade."

The brunette watched the semi. Optimus was staring at the yellow form at the other end of the building. And, despite not having skin and muscles, Cade felt he could read the emotions on the others face. They were fathers. Apparently that sort of worry wasn't just a human thing, but simply the natural order of the world. Er, universe?

"Having offspring amongst my kind is not like it is for a human. For you two, partners are required to mate and conceive a child that grows within the female until it is mature enough to be born. My kind has very little social differences between our genders, but there are still males and females. However, only a prime or the destroyed Allspark can create new life to us. Since we are not organic. My mate-" A deep rumble passed through the floor and into Cade's chest. He shivered from the utter pain in that single note. Bumblebee looked over his shoulder at them, eyes narrowing in suspicion before he turned back to watch the others at the sharp ping of metal on metal.

"The love of my life. She was one of the few female Primes left of my kind before the betrayal of Megatron and the Decepticons. She and I built Bumblebee from pieces of ourselves. Helped him drink life in through the Cube. Raised him the best we could. When she- After she was gone, I raised him the best I could. It was hard. Especially when he required bigger and stronger parts as he grew older. Yes, Cade. we start out small, like humans. Our forms are soft and pliant when we are children, exchanging them for harder and more durable armor as our spark grows. My greatest regret was turning my own son into one of my very own warriors. However necessary it was for our survival, I will always carry the guilt that he never experienced a childhood."

Cade swallowed harshly. He continued to rest on the couch, hands folded behind his head and gaze still set resolutely on the robot. The warrior, the commander. The father.

Maybe he wasn't the only one who had failed his child in some way. Cade licked his lips at that. Thinking about stealing power from the neighbors, the eviction notice. Never being able to provide his daughter with the things she wanted. Always forcing her to care for herself (and him on more than one occasion) as he sucked himself into the next 'big project'. The one that was going to fix everything. Put him on the map of the engineering community. Build something that really mattered.

And he felt entirely selfish. Here he was, being overbearing and commanding and self absorbed as he pretended that he was being a good parent and providing for his daughter when Optimus had to scrape for every second of his own son's survival. While he was running around chasing a dream, Optimus was running from a dying world and praying for a better one that his own child could be safe in. While he had watched Chicago happen on the television, Optimus was fighting alongside his son to protect him and all the other humans who unknowingly depended on them.

Tesse was forced to grow up because her father was a self absorbed ass who was too selfish to go get a real job while Bumblebee was robbed of one by a world war that had very nearly killed him and destroyed everything he had ever known and sending him to a whole new planet.

Cade deserved to be treated the way he had been.

"I wish I could say I was sorry and it actually meant something, Optimus," he whispered harshly. More from strain than from any bitter thoughts against himself. The giant watched him warily but said nothing. Those laser blue eyes gazing unwaveringly at him. Calculating and judging.

Finally, after a few moments of watching Cade struggle with himself, Optimus seemed inclined to answer him: "Your sympathies, while indeed meaningless, are still very much appreciated. I thank you, Cade Yeager."

He smiled weakly at the alien. Still wishing he could be of more help.

"Get some sleep, Cade."

So he rolled over, wishing he had been a better father and that maybe, just maybe, when this was all over, Bee and Optimus would have a chance to be a family again.

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><p>Optimus Prime watched Bumblebee sadly. Human emotions were very different from the ones that they felt. But there were ones that were so strong and so upsetting that they controlled and blinded ones actions. Their reactions. The neurological connections seemingly short circuited until rational thought was a distant memory. And likewise, they could bring back all thoughts and all previous electrical patterns back to the conscious mind, making it hard to think clearly.<p>

Such was the reason why Prime found himself beside the younger robot. A spark stuttering pain in his chest making it hard to think clearly. But he found his courage and rested a painted hand upon his son's shoulder. Something he had not done in a long time. Not like this.

Bee startled at the touch, eyeing the older bot in confusion. He didn't shake the hand off at first, just waiting to see what he would do. But Optimus just kept his hand one Bee's shoulder and watched him. Memories playing in his mind and reverberating within his spark.

When Bee shook the hand away from his shoulder, Optimus feared that was the end of it. Their relationship was too broken to be repaired. But the yellow bot smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. His goofy humming way of portraying his _thoughts_ through his damaged vocal processors whispering a soft phrase to him.

_"Love you, Father."_

_"And I love you, Son."_

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><p><em>AN: So, I totally made up that stuff about Autobot children and what not. If it isn't canon, I'm sorry, but I don't care. It works for this little snippet and it leaves ideas to play with. :) im not one hundred percent happy with this but it is a nice Oneshot. I may continue with something else in the future. We'll see. In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed this and maybe got inspired. Tchaus!_


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